The New York
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will suspend or revoke your NY driver's license for a variety of reasons. The information on this page relates to suspensions and revocations issued by the NY DMV.

Here are some examples of DMV-issued suspensions and revocations:

Suspensions

Failure to respond to traffic ticket.

Alcohol and drug violations.

Vehicular homicide, assault, or criminal negligence.

Speed contest.

Revocations

Driving while ability impaired (DWAI).

Driving while intoxicated (DWI).

Chemical test refusal.

DMV road test failure.

About Suspended Licenses in New York

IMPORTANT: If you're convicted of a criminal offense, you may be subject to extra reinstatement requirements with state or federal courts in addition to those required by the DMV. Be sure to follow every instruction provided by the DMV, the Traffic Violation Bureau (TVB), and/or the criminal court.

The New York DMV enforces different requirements depending on the reason for your NY driver's license
suspension or revocation.

Unresolved suspensions will remain on your NY driving record forever.

For more information on causes leading to suspended driver's license, visit the NY DMV
website.

Types of NY Driver License Suspensions

The NY DMV defines a
suspension as a period of time you cannot legally drive. There are various types of license suspensions, including:

Indefinite suspensions.

Definite suspensions.

Traffic accident suspensions.

Out-of-state ticket suspensions.

Indefinite License Suspensions

Cases where the NY DMV may enforce an
indefinite suspensionon your driver's license include when you fail to:

Respond to a court summons.

Pay a fine.

File an accident report.

There is no pre-determined end date for your suspension. You
must take action in order to have your New York driver's license reinstated (see “Reinstate Your Suspended Driver's License" below).

Definite License Suspensions

When the DMV issues you a
definite suspension, there will be a clear end date. You will be required to wait out the entire suspension period. Some examples of definite suspensions include:

Once the suspension period has passed, you must pay your restoration/termination fees to have your driver's license reinstated. See “
Reinstate Your Suspended Driver's License" below.

NOTE: Other requirements may apply depending on the type of violation. Please refer to the correspondence you received from the NY DMV or civil/criminal court for more information.

Traffic Accident License Suspensions

If you are involved in a car accident resulting in property damage greater than $1,001, you must file a
Report of Motor Vehicle Accident (Form MV-104) with the New York DMV within 10 days after the accident.

If you fail to file the report with the DMV, your NY driver's license may be suspended. You'll need to respond to your ticket, pay the fee, or pay the mandatory surcharges to remove the suspension.

NOTE: For specific instructions on how to remove your suspension, see “Reinstate Your Driver's License" below.

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Out-of-State Ticket Suspensions

New York Drivers: The New York DMV will suspend your NY driver's license if you fail to respond to an out-of-state moving violation, unless the violation was in:

Alaska.

California.

Michigan.

Montana.

Oregon.

Wisconsin.

Your license will be suspended until you resolve the violation.

Out-of-State Drivers: If you live outside of New York (except in the above states) but fail to respond to your NYS traffic ticket, your driver license will be suspended until you resolve it.

Even if you do not have a NYS driver's license, the NY DMV will maintain a record of your suspension. To find out the status of your NY driver's license, you must order your driving record
by mail. For more information, see our Driving Records in New York page.

NOTE: If you have paid your traffic ticket but your NYS driving record does not show the suspension as “terminated," contact the NY state DMV directly.

Suspension Hearings & Appeals in NY

The
Traffic Violations Bureau (TVB) handles non-criminal moving violations in each of the 5 boroughs of NYC, and Rochester for the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

You will likely be required to attend a TVB hearing if you're ticketed for:

Speeding/misdemeanors.

Violations during the new driver probationary period.

Traffic violations adding up to more than 11 points.

NOTE: State/federal courts handle criminal offenses and may enforce suspensions and other penalties in addition to those from the NY DMV.

New York DMV Administrative Hearings

The DMV may require you to show up for an administrative hearing for your driver license suspension. You are considered
innocent until proven guilty.

When you
plead “not guilty" to a moving violation, your case will be forwarded to the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who will make a judgment and set your penalty. The ALJ has the authority to suspend/revoke your license and/or vehicle registration in the interest of safety.

Reinstate Your Suspended NY Driver's License

Your suspended NY driver's license will be automatically restored once you've served the full suspension period and satisfied any other requirements, such as:

Paying the suspension termination fee. See details below.

Paying any outstanding fines.

NOTE: Under special circumstances you may be required to apply for a new driver's license.

Definite Suspensions

If your driver's license is suspended for a specific period of time, you will need to pay your suspension termination fees in order to restore it. You can pay up to 10 suspension termination fees per day
online.

The New York DMV will restore your driver's license 2 business days after you submit your payment
OR on the end date of your suspension. Please confirm the status of your driver's license before you drive a vehicle on NY roads. If you want the NY DMV to send you a new driver's license, make sure the address you have on file is up to date.

NOTE: You cannot pay traffic ticket fines or surcharges or civil penalties on this system.

Driver Responsibility Assessment

When your driver's license is suspended for a traffic conviction, you will need to pay a Driver Responsibility Assessment fee before your license is reinstated.

The DMV will mail you a statement that includes the minimum amount you must pay. You can pay the fee
online, by mail, or in person at a New York DMV office. Follow the instructions on your notice.

DUI/DWI Suspensions

Under NYS law, all licensed drivers automatically give consent to a chemical test (e.g., breath, blood, urine, or saliva) for the purpose of measuring alcohol or drug content. If you refuse to take a chemical test, your NY driver's license will be suspended for at least 1 year.

When convicted of any type of DUI or DWAI in New York, you will lose your privilege to drive and face severe fines/penalties.

The criminal levels for blood-alcohol content (BAC) levels are as follows:

DWAI/alcohol (driving while ability impaired): Between 0.05% to 0.07%.

Driving while intoxicated (DWI): .0.08% or higher.

Aggravated DWI: 0.18% or higher.

DWAI/drug (driving while ability impaired): Driving impaired by a single drug.

DWAI/combination: Driving with a combination of drugs and alcohol.

Zero Tolerance Law: If you're under 21 years old and caught driving with a BAC of 0.02% to 0.07%, you're subject to a license suspension in New York.

If you were convicted of your first DWI or DWAI conviction, the NY DMV will determine if you're eligible to participate in the
Impaired Driver Program (IDP) and for a conditional license. If you're a frequent offender, you could be sentenced to jail time.

The criminal court or New York DMV will mail you details about your specific suspension/revocation and the amounts you must pay.

For more information about DUI/DWI violations, including violation fees, suspension duration, reinstatement, or the Impaired Driver Program in New York, please visit our
DUI & DWI in New York page.

Restricted NY Driver's License

In some cases, the New York DMV offers
conditional and restrictedlicenses, which allow you to operate your vehicle with limited privileges.

The NY DMV will notify you
bymail with instructions on how to proceed if you're eligible.

Fees to Reinstate Your Suspended License

Depending on the type of violation, your NY driver license suspension will involve a variety of fees. Refer to the correspondence you receive from your local court, state/federal court, or
Traffic Violations Bureau for an exact breakdown of fees.

In addition to paying any civil penalties, tickets, fines, or other charges, you must pay the following DMV suspension termination fees:

Definite suspensions: $50.

Indefinite suspensions: vary.

Zero Tolerance Law violations: $100.

For more information about re-application fees, civil penalties, and revoked licenses in New York, read the
NYS DMV guide.

Acceptable Payment Methods

You can pay your re-application fee
online with one of the following debit/credit cards:

American Express.

Discover/Novus.

MasterCard.

VISA.

If you pay
bymail, enclose a certifiedcheck or moneyorder made payable to "Commissioner of Motor Vehicles."

You can request approval either
online or by mail. If you submit your request for approval by mail, you must wait until 30 days before the end of your revocation period. The NY DMV can take up to 12 weeks to process your request.

Please visit the
NY DMV Revocation page for information about special cases and additional requirements for specific revocation types.

Online

To apply for approval to restore your license online, visit the
MyDMV Restoration After Revocation page and sign up for a MyDMV account (if you don't already have one). This process is much quicker than submitting your request bymail.

As described above, you must pay all required fees, including your
re-application fee and civil penalties (if applicable). The online application will show details about the specific fees you're required to pay.

For more fee information, see “
Fees to Reinstate Your Suspended License."